Saturday, August 31, 2013

I have been looking for the perfect way for my family to remember me while I am perusing the streets of Europe. I first thought I would write notes and stick around the house, but then that would require quite a bit of work on my part, as well as end up messy, because I'm sure I would find a graveyard of empty envelopes upon my return. Next, I thought about sending a postcard from my destination daily, but wondered if I would beat them home. In my quest for the perfect reminder of my absence for my family, I turned to online ideas. Look what I found at Uncommon Goods! Yay! Now every time my family crosses the threshold, they will see the face of Mona Lisa and think of "Momma Lisa" in Paris! Isn't this door mat adorable? I love the bright colors. There were several cutes one but this was the one for me! I think it just might prompt me to paint our backdoor a bright color before I leave too. Look what else I found while shopping online at Uncommon Goods....

Saturday, August 24, 2013

I can't help it!!!! All I can think about right now is my upcoming travel to Maison Objet Paris and then onto London for The London Design Festival with Modenus Blogtour London. I met up with Holly Hollingsworth Phillips the other day and we were discussing our "wardrobe wants" for our trips. I'm trying to add pieces to basics I already have. It looks like she and I have similar ideas about what to pack! Needless to say, I think it is going to be a leather/pleather, comfy boots and multiple scarves, type of trip. I have read online about what to pack for a european trip. Most articles say no workout clothes, tennis shoes, or bright colors on the street. Supposedly, if you wear bright colors it's the same as wearing a neon sign that announces "I'm an American". I love bright colors, but I'm toning down my wardrobe because it will help me recycle my clothing while traveling, hence less pieces to pack. We are going to be doing a ton of walking so other than my ballet flats, smoking slippers, I'm thinking boots are a must!

Friday, August 23, 2013

If you don't already know this amazing artist, meet Kerry Steele. I met Kerry online and instantly knew we were kindred spirits. When I was involved with The Unity In Design Event in High Point, last year and made a plea for hand painted plates for the event's auction, she immediately sent me a beautiful plate! Over the summer, I acquired the painting above from Kerry and most recently the one at the very bottom of this post. Don't you love her work? You can see more of her work by visiting her website here. If you would like to read an interview to learn more about what inspires Kerry, she was featured on Art by Karena here.. Thanks to Kerry for agreeing to kick off my new Friday series called "Favorite Spots" where I asked my friends, designers, artists and bloggers to share a favorite spot in their home. Kerry shared her living room as one of her favorite spots!

Here is what Kerry shared with me about why this room is one of her favorites:

"My living room is directly across the entry hall from my studio and I love everything about the room. The wall color is SW faint coral and even my husband adores this pale pink color. The huge abstract is mine but there are a few pieces around the room by other artists. The room is somewhat small, so it forced me to pare down the accessories to my absolute favorites and what worked. Everything in here was done on a major budget (or inherited) so it took a long time to find the right things."

-Kerry Steele

Don't you love Kerry's living room? I do! I especially love the painting and the wall color, but the sofa is quite a beauty as well.

This is the second piece of Kerry's work that arrived this week!

Which is your favorite?

If you would like to learn more about Kerry or see more of her work make sure

Thursday, August 22, 2013

High Point International Furniture Market Just announced the October Market Style Spotters and I am happy to announce I was chosen to participate among this talented group of professionals.

What exactly does a Style Spotter do? Read below to find out more.

You must have a Pinterest account to vote for Style Spotters. If you don't currently have one click here to sign up. If you do have one, make sure you "follow" once this year's board is available. I'll let you know when. That's where the action will be and where you will vote for your favorite Style Spotter's products. Once we start pinning items to our pin board at market you will vote by liking and re-pinning your favorites!

Style Spotters Highlight MarketFashions on Pinterest

High Point Market’s Style Spotters are home fashion trendsetters that showcase their favorite products and top trends at the Market. The Style Spotters post and curate their favorite looks on Pinterest, a website that lets users organize and share photos on virtual pinboards. See what they discover during Market, October 19-24.

Fall 2013 Style Spotters

Style Spotters are trendsetters that see ahead of the curve in home fashion trends. Watch for them at Market as they walk the show, capturing images of their favorite looks and on-trend products. The Style Spotters will pin those photos to their Pinterest board and will list the exhibitor’s name and showroom number. They will also present the exhibitor with a sign that highlights the Style Spotter’s name with a QR code and URL for the Pinterest board. You can be involved, too! Pin your own product images and vote for your favorite Style Spotter, using the instructions on the right.

Monday, August 19, 2013

When I visited the Thermador Test Kitchen in Irvine, California as guest of Thermador and Traditional Home Magazine in honor of their Great Kitchens Getaway Online issue, I had the privilege of cooking on Thermador's 36" Masterpiece Freedom Induction Cooktop. This might look like ceran cooktops that were popular in the 80's, but let me tell you, it's no where near the same appliance for many reasons. To equate the two would be like trying to compare a Rolls Royce to a Volkswagen.

Here are the features that set this appliance apart from the competition:

Functionality:

1. Can place up to four pots or pans anywhere on the cooktop surface

and it creates a burner for it. Note I said anywhere, it will find the pot!

2. It has 48 induction elements that deliver more than 63% usable cooking

surface in any configuration!

3. If you pick a pot up to move it over to make room for another pot, it will transfer the programmed settings to the new position without you lifting a finger.

4. Love and adore the touchscreen! So easy to use! To set the temp you simply touch the screen and scroll to the setting you want. No more messy knobs to clean! Just wipe off the panel if your hands are greasy from cooking.

6. With 4,6000 W PowerBoost, this cooktop allows you to boil water faster than any other cooking technology.

Safety:

Anti-overflow system - If any liquid over flows there is a feature that shuts off the element and sounds an alarm to let you know your pot is boiling over!

. Child Safety Lock- so little hands cannot turn the cooktop on!

Pan Recognition - Cooktop will only turn on if a pan is placed on the cooktop. Small objects will not allow the cook top to turn on.

In the test kitchen, Nadia and I seared tuna on this cooktop and let me just tell you, it got the job done perfectly! Just a few minutes after turning the appliance off, the heat dissipated. That is an especially nice feature if you don't like your kitchen to get hot. Also, nice if you are limited with countertop space because it can become countertop when you aren't cooking.

Why I say the Thermador Freedom Induction Cooktop is best for messy cooks or people who don't like their kitchens to get dirty from cooking? No more splatter to clean with this cooktop! Why you say? You can actually cover the cooktop with paper towels,then put your pans on the paper towel covered top to cook. The paper towels won't catch on fire because the pan is the heat inducer. After cooking, simply remove the paper towels and voila you have a clean cooktop!

Now do you see why I love this cooktop?

Not to mention ....it's sleek and sexy!

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